There were several things to be apprehensive about, as we set off for our last backcountry camping trip of the season. The weather forecast was slightly foreboding, including terms such as "rain" and "snow". I had basically new boots and a history of blisters. But we piled everything in the car after work on Friday and headed out.
We got to the trail-head in good time, and strapped on our gear. There were a few clouds drifting pass, but we had sun as we set out. The boots performed well on the first leg into Forks campground, and I only had two small red spots that night -which I thought was fair, considering the old blisters hadn't 100% healed. The weather held until dusk, when we were in the forest valley and about an hour from the campground. We put on our headlamps and put up our umbrellas against the occasional drizzle of rain. Of course, once we got to the campground proper, the lightening, thunder and downpour began in earnest, but we got the tent up and crawled in to sleep still reasonably dry.
There was sun again when we got up around 9am the next morning. I was a bit stiff, since the pillow pumps had both developed leaks, but hey - that's what your clothing bags are for, right? We had breakfast and packed up the still slightly damp gear for the next leg. Last time we'd headed left, this time it was right, to Turbine Canyon campground and the North Kananaskis Pass.
I'm here to tell you, screw the guidebooks - it is 8-9km of up. Steep UP, gentle UP, stupid UP; but ALL UP! There are a few very short level or downhill bits, just to screw with your mind, but if you're going to do this, just be ready to climb. Having gotten that over with, there are some really lovely bits of scenery: down a valley that seems to go forever, Lawson Lake is gorgeous and you cross several water courses that are beautiful. Unfortunately, the camera battery died and the backup was run down, so I have no photos to prove it. You'll just have to do it yourself.
We got to Turbine around 3pm and it was still sunny, although the breeze was quite brisk. Once you get over the saddle, you can see the glacier where the Canadian Olympic ski team practices in summer (another couple walked over there and said they were quite friendly and happy to see visitors - offered them tea and everything.) We were the only ones there, so we had our choice of tent pads. We got all our gear set-up and set out for drying, then had a nap and a game of crib. Then it was time to start dinner and to put up the tarp, as chunks of frozen rain started to come down. It's hard to describe the stuff actually - too frozen to be rain, not frozen enough to be hail... kind of like little chunks of slushy. More people started to arrive at this point too, so by morning, the campground was fairly full.
We had another game or two of crib, then crawled into our sleeping bags. And I have to say that I am exceedingly pleased with the large amount of cash I laid out on my new bag, since (except for my nose) I was toasty warm all night. That's pretty impressive since the snow continued all night - we had to get up several times to shake it off the tent and when we got up in the morning it was 15-20cm deep. The thermometer said that the temperature bottomed out at 1C overnight, but with a nice level of cold snow around, it feels chillier!
We had planned to stay another night, but at this point we had to consider our options. We hadn't really packed for snow, so we had no shovel, I didn't have extra warm weather gear, the tent wasn't 4 season and it was sagging under the weight of the wet, heavy snow. Plus it's fine for sleeping in, but for two adults to pass the day in, it's pretty small. The clincher was considering our options for getting out - Monday could either see us with more snow overnight to slog through or it could warm up. The path was basically a rut, so if all that snow started melting, we'd be heading downhill wading through our own personal river.
We had breakfast and packed up the gear. Stuart upheld his claim on the "perfect boyfriend" title by taking even more than his share of the gear, so I could try and keep up a decent pace.
The whole mountain range was socked in, so even if I'd been up to the extra kms, we would have skipped hiking up to the pass - who needs a great view of a cloudbank? With the snow coverage, the world had basically become black & white - in a scene where someone had been messing with the settings, so that the white was almost blinding. The sun wasn't even a bright spot in the sky, but sunglasses were still a must. Every once in while, you'd pass a small yellow or purple flower that wasn't buried in snow, and the bit of color would make you feel like you were in some strange naturalist art film.
At one point, we were actually walking through a cloudbank, and it was a bit disappointing. No cushy, pillowiness - just more mist. Sigh. As we'd expected, the amount of snow diminished as we headed downhill and by the time we stopped at Forks for lunch, it was just a skiff here and there (what we'd expected up at Turbine.) We had a cold lunch, watching another couple trying to get a fire started and then continued on.
I had wee little blisters on each heel from the day before (did I mention it was ALL UPHILL?) but I was in much better shape than the last time coming out on this trail. Still, by the time we hit the car, I was dreaming of mechanical transport, potato chips and orange juice. Ironically, after getting on the road, we say the coolest wildlife - a moose in a mudpit and a black bear shambling along the cut-line. Awesome! Stuart is still two cubs up on me, but at least I wasn't bear-less for the summer.
Well, there's lots more I could talk about, but I don't even know if you've read this far. All in all, a pretty standard 'Stuart and Aerin' trip - nothing according to plan!
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!
It's not 100%, absolutely for sure yet, but it looks like I'll be going to China for two weeks in October. (Seems to be the month for travel, that will be almost exactly two years since I went to Singapore.) Psuedo-uncle Peter asked Mom to guide his next group and she's willing to pay my way to have company and help. It's 4 star hotels, a 5-star cruise down the Yangtze, the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, the terracotta warriors, a whole selection of pagodas - I can't wait!
The only sad part will be leaving Stuart for two whole weeks. :(
The only sad part will be leaving Stuart for two whole weeks. :(
Monday, July 28, 2008
Calgary Folk Music Festival
Yet another Folk Festival is being packed up, as I type. The highlight has to be Calexico - those guys rock! I've been listening to their music for years now, but this was the first chance I've had to hear them live. I got a chance to have most of them sign the autograph bear, and I have to say that they are really nice too! The other highlight was Stuart coming for three of the evening stages - my lifelong dream of having a boyfriend willing attend Folk Fest with me has come true.
Wendy McNeill was another great performer. She did most of my favs (missing out on Black Angus) and she also signed the bear. In the great new (to me!) band category, I have to include the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Los Straitjackets, Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet and The Consonant C.
Unfortunately, the Weakerthans and Great Lake Swimmers turned out to be just other versions of Death Cab for Cutie. They are all ok songs individually, but after about 3 in a row I either tune out or go insane. The Sam Roberts Band was also disappointing; one of the multitudes that seem to require that ol' studio magic to sound good.
The weather was also mixed. Despite forecasts earlier in the week calling for warm and dry, we ended up with thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday. The one Sunday afternoon was the best. The lightening strike was so close that just the light made everyone jump and just as we were all laughing at our silliness... KA-BOOM! Thunder so loud that it was like a sonic boom. Everything vibrated. And then the hail came. Wheee!
Overall, I have to say that this festival didn't live up to past events. The evening line-ups were a blatant attempt to attract the young folks and their money. It was more like an alt-rock concert with some folk bands thrown in for justification. On the plus side, none of us was impressed with Conor Oberst and we weren't planning to stay for Ani DiFranco anyway, so at least we got a bit of sleep last night.
Wendy McNeill was another great performer. She did most of my favs (missing out on Black Angus) and she also signed the bear. In the great new (to me!) band category, I have to include the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Los Straitjackets, Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet and The Consonant C.
Unfortunately, the Weakerthans and Great Lake Swimmers turned out to be just other versions of Death Cab for Cutie. They are all ok songs individually, but after about 3 in a row I either tune out or go insane. The Sam Roberts Band was also disappointing; one of the multitudes that seem to require that ol' studio magic to sound good.
The weather was also mixed. Despite forecasts earlier in the week calling for warm and dry, we ended up with thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday. The one Sunday afternoon was the best. The lightening strike was so close that just the light made everyone jump and just as we were all laughing at our silliness... KA-BOOM! Thunder so loud that it was like a sonic boom. Everything vibrated. And then the hail came. Wheee!
Overall, I have to say that this festival didn't live up to past events. The evening line-ups were a blatant attempt to attract the young folks and their money. It was more like an alt-rock concert with some folk bands thrown in for justification. On the plus side, none of us was impressed with Conor Oberst and we weren't planning to stay for Ani DiFranco anyway, so at least we got a bit of sleep last night.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sinister 7 Completed
So, here's my non-racer's take on the weekend of fun. First of all, I woke up in the middle of the night Thursday with the sore throat and sniffles that indicate the onset of another lovely allergy flare-up. I spent the whole weekend scarfing antihistamines and feeling kind of fuzzy. Wheee!
At any rate, I picked up Stuart from work on Friday at noon and we headed out. We took the 22 most of the way south and it was beautiful. The "Cowboy Trail" wends it's way through true foothills country, so there were green hills and blue water as we passed the Chain Lakes. Stuart took a nap and I took it easy driving and listening to tunes. The sky was bright blue and full of white, puffy clouds, which I realized is what I associate with summer, more than just a big blue bowl.
We got to Blairmore in lots of time to check into our hotel (old, small and dark, but cheap and air conditioned!) and head over to the arena for the pre-race dinner. As usual, it was pasta - ahh... runners and their carb-loading! In this case, served with Prego that someone had added chili flakes to; bland and spicy may seem like an oxymoron, but believe me, they achieved it. The race meeting was pretty normal - follow the ribbons, don't get eaten by bears, have fun.
We managed to get some sleep, particularly since this race started at the much more humane hour of 9am. We went to see John start and then went back to the hotel to repack Stuart's run bags again and just relax. I won't bother trying to guestimate their run times, if you really want to know, check out the leader boards, whenever they get them updated. John made good time on Legs 1, 2 and 3 although he complained about the heat (and he wasn't the only one - it got up to about 26 degrees that day.)
We sent Stuart off on Leg 4 and I headed off for TA (transition area) 4. He rolled in about 15 minutes later than I'd expected, but he wasn't doing well. He plunked into the chair, demanding fluids and a medic! He took about 10 minutes to rest, gulp water and have his blood pressure taken, because he was experiencing nausea and difficulty drinking enough. His veins were still up though, so he was pronounced healthy enough to run. He took off on Leg 5 doing his "military stride".
Obviously, I was a bit worried about him, so I got to TA5 way too early and had to sit around reminding myself that there was no way he could be showing up yet. He did roll in at a very respectable time and obviously in a much better mood. He changed into a long sleeve shirt, decided to do without his poles and off he went. As I got off the mountain and into cell range, I found several messages indicating that John was already at TA6, so I headed straight there.
We sat around until about 1:45am waiting for Stuart. We saw two soloists roll in, who took quite a long break before heading out to start Leg 5! We saw Jack Cook, the racing machine, stagger in and DNF. (I'd seen him at most of the TA's and he never stopped longer than it took to refill his clutch bottles and maybe scarf some orange. That works for marathons, but I think he needs to tweak his strategy for ultras. Just my opinion.)
Stuart came in strong and fired off his tradition flare - fortunately before he got right into the TA! - but still managed to give everyone an adrenaline rush. John took off for the last leg and we packed up to head into town. We stopped at the hotel long enough for Stuart to shower and get into some warmer clothes, then headed for the finish line. We got there in good time to see John power in and for both of them to get their green "you finished" medals. Then it was back to the hotel to fall into our well-deserved beds at 3:30am.
The Cobbs headed out in good time for family commitments in Edmonton, but we slept in. By the time we dragged ourselves out of bed, packed and checked out, it was 12:30. We probably would have slept longer, but the need for food was keeping us awake. We ate and then headed to the town pool for a leisurely float in the pool. Then we got ice cream cones and drove down to the Frank Slide Interpretive Center. The Center itself was closed, but the paths and "info" boards were still there. From the highway, it looks like a big slide, but with the higher perspective, you realize that a substantial chunk of the mountain came down. If you weren't in immediate danger of being crushed, it was probably pretty spectacular!
By then, it was time to head back for the awards dinner. Pasta salad, bean salad and overdone roast beef - if you'd been running stupid distances it was probably great, but otherwise... The boys did well, but not well enough to win anything. Likewise, we didn't win anything in the draws, but then again, the last thing we need is another freakin' water bottle! We hit the road home at about 5:30pm. The outstanding points of the trip home were Stuart picking out which hills he wants to buy when we win the lottery and all the idiots on the road. The posted speed limit is 100km/hr. I was doing 110, just to avoid being flat out run over and everyone passed me, doing at least 120 and most were going faster. God, I hate people sometimes.
So that was it. All in all, a pretty fun trip. Stuart's dilemma now? To run "Lost Souls" or to volunteer? And should we use the vacation time to do the "Mantario" ultra?
At any rate, I picked up Stuart from work on Friday at noon and we headed out. We took the 22 most of the way south and it was beautiful. The "Cowboy Trail" wends it's way through true foothills country, so there were green hills and blue water as we passed the Chain Lakes. Stuart took a nap and I took it easy driving and listening to tunes. The sky was bright blue and full of white, puffy clouds, which I realized is what I associate with summer, more than just a big blue bowl.
We got to Blairmore in lots of time to check into our hotel (old, small and dark, but cheap and air conditioned!) and head over to the arena for the pre-race dinner. As usual, it was pasta - ahh... runners and their carb-loading! In this case, served with Prego that someone had added chili flakes to; bland and spicy may seem like an oxymoron, but believe me, they achieved it. The race meeting was pretty normal - follow the ribbons, don't get eaten by bears, have fun.
We managed to get some sleep, particularly since this race started at the much more humane hour of 9am. We went to see John start and then went back to the hotel to repack Stuart's run bags again and just relax. I won't bother trying to guestimate their run times, if you really want to know, check out the leader boards, whenever they get them updated. John made good time on Legs 1, 2 and 3 although he complained about the heat (and he wasn't the only one - it got up to about 26 degrees that day.)
We sent Stuart off on Leg 4 and I headed off for TA (transition area) 4. He rolled in about 15 minutes later than I'd expected, but he wasn't doing well. He plunked into the chair, demanding fluids and a medic! He took about 10 minutes to rest, gulp water and have his blood pressure taken, because he was experiencing nausea and difficulty drinking enough. His veins were still up though, so he was pronounced healthy enough to run. He took off on Leg 5 doing his "military stride".
Obviously, I was a bit worried about him, so I got to TA5 way too early and had to sit around reminding myself that there was no way he could be showing up yet. He did roll in at a very respectable time and obviously in a much better mood. He changed into a long sleeve shirt, decided to do without his poles and off he went. As I got off the mountain and into cell range, I found several messages indicating that John was already at TA6, so I headed straight there.
We sat around until about 1:45am waiting for Stuart. We saw two soloists roll in, who took quite a long break before heading out to start Leg 5! We saw Jack Cook, the racing machine, stagger in and DNF. (I'd seen him at most of the TA's and he never stopped longer than it took to refill his clutch bottles and maybe scarf some orange. That works for marathons, but I think he needs to tweak his strategy for ultras. Just my opinion.)
Stuart came in strong and fired off his tradition flare - fortunately before he got right into the TA! - but still managed to give everyone an adrenaline rush. John took off for the last leg and we packed up to head into town. We stopped at the hotel long enough for Stuart to shower and get into some warmer clothes, then headed for the finish line. We got there in good time to see John power in and for both of them to get their green "you finished" medals. Then it was back to the hotel to fall into our well-deserved beds at 3:30am.
The Cobbs headed out in good time for family commitments in Edmonton, but we slept in. By the time we dragged ourselves out of bed, packed and checked out, it was 12:30. We probably would have slept longer, but the need for food was keeping us awake. We ate and then headed to the town pool for a leisurely float in the pool. Then we got ice cream cones and drove down to the Frank Slide Interpretive Center. The Center itself was closed, but the paths and "info" boards were still there. From the highway, it looks like a big slide, but with the higher perspective, you realize that a substantial chunk of the mountain came down. If you weren't in immediate danger of being crushed, it was probably pretty spectacular!
By then, it was time to head back for the awards dinner. Pasta salad, bean salad and overdone roast beef - if you'd been running stupid distances it was probably great, but otherwise... The boys did well, but not well enough to win anything. Likewise, we didn't win anything in the draws, but then again, the last thing we need is another freakin' water bottle! We hit the road home at about 5:30pm. The outstanding points of the trip home were Stuart picking out which hills he wants to buy when we win the lottery and all the idiots on the road. The posted speed limit is 100km/hr. I was doing 110, just to avoid being flat out run over and everyone passed me, doing at least 120 and most were going faster. God, I hate people sometimes.
So that was it. All in all, a pretty fun trip. Stuart's dilemma now? To run "Lost Souls" or to volunteer? And should we use the vacation time to do the "Mantario" ultra?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sinister 7 looms
My sweetie is running in the Sinister 7 ultra-marathon this weekend, and, as usual, the pre-race brain is setting in. For me, this mostly means lack of sleep due to a) his tossing and turning and b) my crazy dreams. Strange pre-race dreams are a common hallmark for marathon and ultra-marathon runners, but Stuart normally doesn't have them. I do instead.
And I could do without them, thank you very much. I have strange, strange dreams all on my own, without sympathy dreaming for him. I made a special effort to remember last night's dream, since it occurred to me that several elements of it could be written up into a half-decent fantasy novel. Of course now I can't remember a darn thing about it. Nothing at all. I'm dragging my butt today and have nothing to show for it.
On the plus side, I got another free pancake breakfast this morning, thanks to the city's ongoing "Stampede" mania. With a minimum of work and planning, you could basically eat for free for 10 days in Calgary - if you don't mind a lot of pancakes and lukewarm sausage.
Since I still don't have a laptop, Blackberry or other transportable device, there will be no up-to-date postings of Stuart and John's progress this weekend. (I refuse to type anything long on my little cell phone!) However, Sinister 7 will have a leader board - just watch "Two Fun Guys". And of course, there will be a full apres-race report here as soon as I get some sleep!
And I could do without them, thank you very much. I have strange, strange dreams all on my own, without sympathy dreaming for him. I made a special effort to remember last night's dream, since it occurred to me that several elements of it could be written up into a half-decent fantasy novel. Of course now I can't remember a darn thing about it. Nothing at all. I'm dragging my butt today and have nothing to show for it.
On the plus side, I got another free pancake breakfast this morning, thanks to the city's ongoing "Stampede" mania. With a minimum of work and planning, you could basically eat for free for 10 days in Calgary - if you don't mind a lot of pancakes and lukewarm sausage.
Since I still don't have a laptop, Blackberry or other transportable device, there will be no up-to-date postings of Stuart and John's progress this weekend. (I refuse to type anything long on my little cell phone!) However, Sinister 7 will have a leader board - just watch "Two Fun Guys". And of course, there will be a full apres-race report here as soon as I get some sleep!
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